Brunei

Geography

About the size of Delaware, Brunei is an
independent sultanate on the northwest coast of the island of Borneo in
the South China Sea, wedged between the Malaysian states of Sabah and
Sarawak.

Government

Constitutional sultanate.

History

Brunei was trading with China during the 6th
century, and, through allegiance to the Javanese Majapahit kingdom (13th
to 15th century), it came under Hindu influence. In the early 15th
century, with the decline of the Majapahit kingdom and widespread
conversion to Islam, Brunei became an independent sultanate. It was a
powerful state from the 16th to the 19th century, ruling over the northern
part of Borneo and adjacent island chains. But Brunei fell into decay and
lost Sarawak in 1841, becoming a British protectorate in 1888 and a
British dependency in 1905. Japan occupied Brunei during World War II; it
was liberated by Australia in 1945.

The sultan regained control over internal
affairs in 1959, but Britain retained responsibility for the state's
defense and foreign affairs until 1984, when the sultanate became fully
independent. Sultan Bolkiah was crowned in 1967 at the age of 22,
succeeding his father, Sir Omar Ali Saifuddin, who had abdicated. During
his reign, exploitation of the rich Seria oilfield had made the sultanate
wealthy. Brunei has one of the highest per capita incomes in Asia, and the
sultan is believed to be one of the richest men in the world. In Aug.
1998, Oxford-educated Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah was inaugurated as heir to
the 500-year-old monarchy.